Leadership isn’t about tenure or title. It’s about helping people achieve their full potential. It’s about putting people and the organization in a position to succeed. It’s about humility, service, sacrifice and impact on others. It’s about having a compelling vision of the future and connecting others to it. The best leaders are Futuremakers! FutureMaker …Read More

True or false: Salespeople are motivated differently than non-salespeople? The answer is “true,” according to new research I recently completed in partnership with Modern Survey. For sales leaders to effectively motivate their teams, they need to know what drives salespeople to perform. On August 3, Modern Survey President and Co-Founder Don MacPherson and I will …Read More

The best brands are known for great customer experiences. Bullhorn is a company delivering exactly that. Founded by CEO Art Papas in 1999, it has grown into a booming CRM software company with 500 employees and 10,000 customers. I was fortunate to participate in Bullhorn’s user conference, Engage, last month. In his keynote to kick …Read More

Are you regularly negotiating with clients over price? After a recent event, I got the following email from an executive recruiter running his own staffing practice: Hey Ryan, I was thinking about something you said on pricing. Recruiting is commoditized and there’s a lot of competition. I often find clients will offer a 20 percent …Read More

“I lost my dad. I don’t share that for sympathy. I definitely don’t want you to feel bad for me. It’s part of my journey. I am incredibly fortunate. My dad lived a full life. He was 79 and accomplished all of his dreams. Today I get to honor his life and his legacy by …Read More

Are you ALL IN in the work you’re doing? It’s an interesting question. I recently challenged myself to consider if I’m leaving any of my own potential and contribution on the table. Am I doing my very best? The ALL IN leadership challenge came courtesy of Fairfield Residential, a full service property management company with …Read More

I was winding down a day of leadership development with Direct Energy last Thursday in Houston and was asked the question: “What are some of the most important things you measure in your business?” I didn’t hesitate: “Impact and growth.” Growth is easy to quantify. I know we’re up 30 percent year over year. We …Read More

I celebrated last summer with a four-day work week. Taking every Friday off was a great summertime plan, but one day a week simply wasn’t enough time to rejuvenate, reflect, read, write and shift the pace of my work and travel. This summer, I decided to try a month-long sabbatical. When I made the decision, …Read More

Think about the people who’ve helped you get where you are today. Have you had an extraordinary leader or mentor who’s made an impact on you? If you’re like me, you can clearly pinpoint one or two people who have provided support, guidance, challenge, inspiration and mentorship to help you become the person and professional …Read More

It was 3 a.m. and my mind was racing. I couldn’t sleep. My worst fear was becoming my reality. I am a failure. I was pretty sure that by sunrise I was going to call my old boss and beg for my old job back. I didn’t want that job. I didn’t love that job. …Read More